Doorchecking device



Aug. 16, 1932. F'. M. FRANKLEN DOORCHECKING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 21, 1931 Fizz). 17

. WVENTDR PRIDE/CK M F/QA/V/(MV. v v A Aug, 1%, 1932. F. M. FRANKLIN DOORGHECKING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 21, 1951 zvvE/VTUH I I I 27 F02? 1 7 Patented Aug. 16, 1932 raEnnIcK M. FRANK IN. or NEW YORK, n. Y.

nooacnncxnve DEVICE Substitute for'abando'ned application Serial No. 84,810, filed. January 30, 1926. This application filed August 21, 1931. SeriaINo. 58 ,554.

The invention resides in the provision of concealed door checkingmeans which may be installed with greater ease and at less cost than door checking devices such as are now in general'use. The device of the invention is made up of separate units, one of which consists of a spring operated closing means and the other of'which comprises a door checking" means. Thesefunits coopcrate to bring about and automatically control the closing movement of the door to which they are attached and are subject to independent installation and removal and use. I A further object of the invention isto provide a door checking means ofthe'character described which will be small, inconspicuous, compact and reliable in use;

A further object of the invention r is to pro- 26 vide a checkingdevlce of the character described in whlch any number of sprlng and door checking units may be used, dependent upon the size and weight of the door and other conditions which are to be considered, which units may be mounted so as to be concealed. w

A still further object is to provide a door checking device of the character described in which the construction and relative arrangement of the parts vof the units are simple and inexpensive and provide for an inexpensive, ily assembled and disassembled andch'eaply maintained in working order.: V

With the above mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described,.illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or-sacriiicing any of the advantages of the invention. i

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a fragmentary front elevation of a door, part of which is broken away and showing the checking deviceof durabledevice which maybe easformed in the upper boring holes in the upper edge of the door rlS this invention as it would appear when installed. I v

' Fig. 2 represents a similar view of the door showing a slightly modified form of the invention. I

Fig. 3 representsa top plan view of a door showing the invention as it would appear when applied thereto.

Fig. 4 represents a top plan View of the form of the invention. shown in Fig. 2.

F ig. 5 represents an enlarged vertical sectional view of the door checking unit of the device.

- Fig. Grepresents an enlarged vertical sectional view of thespring closing unit device.

Fig. 7 represents an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the top of the said units and the manner of installing the same on the Fig. 8 represents a fragmentary top plan View of the door checking'unit.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings comprises springclosing units designated 1 and 2 and a door check unit designated 3. Although I have shown three units, I wish it understood that I may use any number of spring units and door checking units as desired, and when using more than three units the arrangement thereof will appear asindicated by the dotted linesshown in Fig. 1. I

. These separate units are preferably independently mounted in sockets or openings 4 part of the door. By

provision may be made for socketing the said units so "that they will be substantially concealed.

Assuming that there are three units as shown in Fig. 1,-the saidunits are provided on their upper ends with pinions 5, 6 and 7 cooperating with which are rack bars 8 and 9. Attachedto the pinion 7 is a lever 10 to the outer end of which an adjustable arm 11 pivoted. The arm 11 is pivoted on a bracket 12 suitably fastened on a frame A of the door B. When the door isjswung open on its hinges C,- the'lever 10 is moved so that the pinion 7 will turn and through the rack bars 8. and '9 correspondingly turn'the pinions 5 and 6. In this way the three units are operated, the spring units so as to resist the opening movement of the door and bring about the closing of the door, and the check ing unit to control the closing movement. B this arrangement it will be seen that the door checking device as a whole, may be substantially concealed and that should it become necessary to remove one of the units or all of them, this may be readily and easily accomplished. If the door checking unit is to be removed, the. other units may be employed as a spring closing means and if the spring units are removed, the checking unit may be made to operate without the spring unit. This may be accomplished by changing the connection of the lever with the units, and is made possible by theadjustablearm'll. The part of the upper edge of the door which is prepared to receive the units has a plate 13 removably secured thereon, which plate is provided with openings 14 adapted to register with the openings or sockets4. Each unit comprises a cylinder or casing 15 closed on its upper end by a plug 16, which latter is provided with lugs or extensions 17 that: fit in recesses 18 cut in opposite sides of the openings 14. Thus these plugs 16 are secured in the openings 14 by screws 18 and are substantially flush with the upper side of the plate 13.

The spring units 1 and 2, one of which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 6, includes an upright rotary shaft 19 journaled as at 20 at its lower 'endwithin the casing'15 and as at 21 within the plug 16. The upper end of this shaft extends above the plug 16 and is formed with a keyway 22. The pinion 6 is mounted on this shaft and is formed with a plurality of key slots 22, one of which is brought to register with the keyway 22 in order to fit a key 22 in'place to lock the pinions in place. By changing the key slots the tension of the spring may be regulated. A helical spring 23 surrounds the shaft and has its upper terminal secured as at 24 to the screw plug 16. The lower terminal of the spring is similarly secured as at 25 to a flange 26 on the lower end of the shaft. The arrangement of this device is such that when the door is open, the spring will be placed under tension and on release of the door, the spring will unwind and tend to close it.

The rack bars 8 and 9 slidably engage upstanding portions 27 on the plate 13 and are thereby held in mesh with the pinions. A cover plate 28 is mounted upon the flanges 27 and covers the pinions and rack bars. The

plate is suitably removably held in place with the usual fastenings and is let into the door so as to be substantially flush with the upper edge thereof.

The checking unit includes an lnner cylin- 'der 29 telescoped within its main cylinder 15 and provided with screw threads in the main casing as shown at 30, whereby said cylinders are removably held one within the other. A rotary shaft 31 extends through an opening .32 in the cover plate 28 into the inner cylinder 29, the upper end thereof being sufliciently exposed to provide for the detachable connection therewith of the lever 10. This shaft extends through an opening 33 in the plug 16 and engages in an opening 34 formed in the center of the externally screw threaded mem- 7 her 35 mounted within the inner cylinder. The inner cylinder is formed with internal threads 36 which'cooperate with the threads of the member 35. The lower end of this shaft is squared and the opening 34 is of similar shape. On turning of the shaft, the member 35 will be turned and will be moved vertically due to the screw threads thereof and of the inner cylinder cooperating.

The member 35 has a reduced downward extension 37 at the lower end of which is a further reduced downwardly extending portion 38 which is joined onto a piston 39 having a working fit within the lower part of the main casing 13.

The piston 13 has a screw threaded opening 40 on its lower side in which is secured a plug 41 provided with a laterally extending flange 42 which holds a suitable packing gland 43 against the under side of the piston. The plug has a central opening 44 which serves as a cage for a ball valve 45 held against dropping out of the opening by means of a pin 46 which is inserted transversely through the plug. The ball is adapted to seat against the reduced upper end 47 of the opening 40, which at this point communicates with the space above the piston.

A passage 48 extends upwardly through the center of the piston into the portion 38 and has a lateral discharge opening 49 above the piston. Just below the lateral discharge opening the passage 48 is formed with a conical seat portion 50 for a needle valve 51 which latter is adjustably mounted in a bore 52 formed in the shaft 31. A lower part of the needle is provided with screw threads 53 which cooperate with a screw threaded opening 54 in the lower end of the reduced por- V makes for. simplicity of construction and as sembly and provides a more compact device as a whole.

Operation With the device of this invention installed upon a door as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when the door is opened, the lever 10 is rocked so as to turn the pinion 7 and by means of the rack bars 8 and 9, the pinions 5 and 6 are turned. When the pinions 5 and 6 are turned, the shafts 19 of the spring devices 1 and 2 are rotated so as to wind up the springs 23 whereupon when the door is release-d, said springs will operate through the pinions 5 and 6, rack bars 8 and 9, pinion 7, lever 10 and arm 9 to close the door. However, when the springs are being wound up on the opening of the door, the piston 39 is moved from its lowermost to its uppermost position. This is brought about by the shaft 31 rotating the member 35 against the screw threads 36 so that said member will be moved upwardly. On the upward movement of this member and the piston which is attached thereto, the ball valve 45 is unseated and the liquid, preferably oil, which is held above the piston, passes through the opening 40 into the lower part of the casing below the piston without interfering with the movement of the piston or associated parts. When the door is released and begins to close, the direction of the rotation of the shaft 31 is reversed andthe piston moves downward against the body of oil in the lower part of the casing. This imme diately causes the valve 45 to seat and close the opening through the piston, preventing the passage of oil through the opening 40 of the piston. The resistance to the movement of the piston ofiered by the body of oil, causes the door to be slowly moved into closed posi-.

tion. The oil escapes from the lower end of tire casing through the passage 48, past the needle valve 51 and out through the discharge opening 4 9 into that part of the casing above the piston. The speed of the closing movement of the door is regulated by adusting the needle valve 52.

The arrangement of the apparatus of this invention is such that when a plurality of spring closing devices and a door checking device are used in one unit, one or all of the spring checking devices may be removed Without requiring but a partial disassembling and without disturbing the door checking device or in anyway interfering with the operation thereof. Likewise the door checking device may be removed without interfering with the operation of the spring closing devices. These removals of said devices are sometimes necessary for the purpose of inspection and repair and it is therefore an advantageous feature that such removals can be made without rendering the apparatus inoperative.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 1, spring closing devices designated and 61 and a door checking device designated 62 are enclosed in a casing 63 which is secured on the side of the door. In this modification, the construction and relative arrangement of the spring closing and door checking devices are the same as in the other form of the invention, the only difference being that the devices are mounted on the outside instead of being countersunk in sockets formed in the upper edge of the door. There is provided a lever 64 which corresponds to the lever 10 in the preferred form of the invention, and pivoted to the outer end of this lever is a link 65 which is pivoted as at 66 to the door frame. The construction and operation of this modified form of the invention is the same as the preferred form.

This case is a substitute for my previous abandoned case No. 234L810, filed Jan. 30, 1926.

IIaving thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a door and door frame, of a spring operated door closing device concealed in the upper part of the door and including a shaft which is exposed at the upper edge of the door, a door checking device for controlling the closing movement of the door concealed in the upper part of the door and including a shaft, likewise exposed at the upper edge of the door, to one side of the first named shaft, gears fixed to said shafts on the upper edge of the door, rack bars slidably mounted upon the upper part of the door and with which said gears engage and means of connection between one of the shafts and the door frame providing for rotation of the shaft on movement of the door.

2. In combination with a door, a door frame, a spring operated door closing device located at the upper part of the door including a shaft, a door checking device controlling the closing movement of the door, also located at the upper part of the door and including a shaft, gears fixed to said shaft, rack bars slidably mounted upon the upper part of the door and with which said gears A engage, and means of connection between one of the shafts and the door frame providing (fior rotation of the shaft on movement of the cor.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at New York city, New York, this 11th day of August, 1931.

FREDRIGK M. FRANKLIN. 

